MGSV A Quiet Conclusion (Old Version)
by BBQ4
Summary: "The mighty fortress of Outer Heaven is destroyed along with the dreams of Big Boss." But Snake awakes in an unfamiliar place and hears a familiar voice...
1. Chapter 1

Prologue

"Outer Heaven self-destruct countdown, 10, 9…" "Good-Bye" a shadowy figure with a bandana whispers and disappears. He and I just fought here in one of the storage rooms in outer heaven. The room's walls are splattered with blood over, some of mine and of other soldiers; he killed on his way here. Most soldiers have escaped this place ever since he started to make a ruckus. The room is only lighted by the red emergency lightbulb spinning around.

As the 10 second countdown begins, I lay here, beaten, bloody and a blown-off right leg reminiscing about my lifetime as Venom Snake while smoking my last cigar. The beginning of it, the hospital, Afghanistan, Africa, Skull Face, running the desert with DD and her... After she was gone, at first I had a hard time to come to terms with it but eventually I forgot all about her. "8,7,6,5…" as I puff one more of my last cigar, I keep reminiscing about my short time with that woman, our adventures in the desert, the jungle and Diamond Dog's Mother Base.

We did not share words directly; we only spoke through our actions in the battlefield. I always felt at ease around her, ironically to feel that as she was originally sent to assassinate me. Perhaps at the time the language we shared was one of revenge… "4, 3..." However, that all changed after she left, because of Huey's actions, the Wolbachia mutation. The news of her departure shook me, but I could not exhibit any emotions. This is one of the prices you pay for being Big Boss, no time to feel. Just charge down the battlefield and always maintain this façade of a leader.

As the years carried on, my burden as Big Boss's shadow grew, all the people I betrayed, tortured and killed. All for a dream that will likely never come true, until today I never questioned why I was following orders. "You are Big Boss, I am too, carry that everywhere with you, thank you my friend". What I carried was the heavy burden of a man whom killed the person he loved most in this world and turned into a monster soon after. At first, I really did not mind being Big Boss, but as the years carried on I grew weary and tired. No longer, did I care for the fellow soldiers nor the dream of the monster; I was seeking release. Looking back, the time that mattered most to me, was the year tracking Skull Face. That year I saved the World from his revenge.

Nevertheless, I'm grateful now that now I have been discharged from service; I do not care what happens to the real Big Boss now. I lost my identity, my past and now I have no future. In this present here, my only regret is that I did not enjoy even at least a fraction of real life. Killing, endless killing, that's all my life had been. And now I am left with nothing…In my final moments, my short life is flashing before my eyes, how I wish to see her again…. ''Quiet'' I whisper. The cigar falls down from my mouth, "3, 2, 1…"

Venom Snake closes his eyes and the mighty fortress of Outer Heaven is destroyed along with the dreams of Big Boss.

Chapter 1 Q has come to

"He's waking up" a tired old voice can barely be heard "Snake…" whispers a female voice "Gah!" Snake screams in pain "Give him the small dosage, which should stabilize him" the tired old voice signals

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Snake opens his eyes… everything is blurry. He feels like he is lying on a bed. A shadowy figure approaches him, the silhouette of a woman, "Is this heaven?" He asks "Not quite" "Quiet?" "Yes" "Gah!" "No he's failing again, Snake, Snake!" Quiet yells as she holds Snake's body, trying to stabilize him. Despite her efforts, he passes out again.

One week later….

Quiet walks through the entrance to a wooden cabin carrying a bag. The inside of cabin, everything is made of wood. As she enters to her right side is a white colored refrigerator she recently acquired for her new houseguest, on top of it is a cassette radio she occasionally uses to listen to music, inside of it has a tape labeled "1984". To her left lies a light wooden rounded table with two chairs, and an electric lamp. As she steps in further she also has a small couch with a black bear fur on the beneath it, reaching to the small fireplace chimney. At the end lies a wooden double cot bed, centered placed facing the direction of the open door. In the bed Snake is sleeping, Quiet dressed him with a dark brown t-shirt and green leafed cargo pants, these are military fashioned clothes she collected over the years. She puts a bag containing fruits on her table. To the corner of the cabin left side of the bed lies two boxes of cigars Quiet stole from a truck, one box of cigarettes and on top of them are the clothes neatly folded. At the right side of the bed, there is a wooden drawer, with a gun and a glass of water on top of it, behind it is a wooden door that gives entrance to the small bathroom. Lastly, underneath the bed lies Quiet's two rifles, her treasured Brennan she always likes to polish almost every day and a normal one she uses to fend off predators.

When she puts the bag down, the noise wakes up Snake frightened. Gasping for air and his face is full of sweat. As he realizes where he his "Huh, I'm alive" he remarks as his breathing stabilizes "What.." He finds himself awake in the bed, looking to his surroundings. He sees the gun with the glass of water.

He keeps looking to his surroundings, lifting himself a little bit off from the bed. He sees the open door in front, and between it two opened windows, outside of it as a rock wall. "What is this place?" "You're no longer in Outer Heaven" he hears a female voice "Who is there!?" He quickly grabs the gun and points it to the source of the voice. When he begins to recognize the source of the voice, Snake's angry expression changes to one of genuine surprise, the grip on the gun loosens and so does his aim. "Long time no see Snake" "Quiet?" The forgotten female sniper, unusually still in her clothes from the year Snake had met her, holds a tray while looking at her long lost friend. Snake begins to feel dizzy and the grip on the handgun loosen completely, falling to the bed. "Snake, the treatment hasn't taken full effect with you, rest, we'll talk later"

3 days later…

"How do you feel?" Quiet asks as she straightens the bed's sheet "Thirsty, water…" "Here" "Why am I here, answer me!" Snake promptly grabs her arm, she gives him a serious stare but not threatening "Snake, you're in my house, in my bed, you nearly died in Outer Heaven and I rescued you, even tended to your wounds." "Wha.." Snake's grip on Quiets arm loosens "Then you really saved me?" "Yes, now get some rest." Quiet gently shrugs off his arms and settles it down on his chest.

Snake's throws his head back to the pillow, his mind now begins to drift, the desert, jungle and mother base all over again. He relives one incident that had occurred at Diamond Dogs Mother Base. "Hit the alarm!" shouts Snake as he tries to jump off to save Quiet. When Quiet appears from the chlorine infested floor, Snake grabs her and when he looks at her hand she hands him down a vial of parasite. "Take it."


	2. Chapter 2 Take on me

Chapter 2 "Take on me"

"Gasp"

opening his eyes, Snake notices Quiet smoking a cigarette outside with her bra untied from the front leaning on the front door. Turning her head while blowing smoke, she sees him awake. She quickly hooks her bra and throws off the cigarette, rushing to his side.

"Snake?"

"I'm fine…. Hey how come you're speaking English?"

"Your mind is clear now… it was the chlorine..."

"Chlorine?"

"Yes, don't you remember when I jumped to that chlorine infested room, to retreat Shabani's necklace?"

"But how?"

"Aside from burning my skin, the chemical burned the English strain parasite that was incubating on my throat, but I didn't realize it till a few weeks later I left Mother Base."

"Why didn't you come back?" "How could I, you know what Miller and Ocelot would have done to me, I'd probably be dead." "Hmm right…" "Now, let's try getting you out of that bed, I got some crutches."

Snake lifts himself from the bed, but struggles a bit to balance himself, as he is missing his right leg.

"Here"

Quiet gives him a crutch to his right hand she took had standing on the wall,

"I'm ok".

He begins to exert great effort to maintain the crutch and not fall. He stumbles and falls to the bed sitting. He cannot balance himself properly because of his missing right leg from the knee. Quiet helps him up. "

Wow, I really need digoxin"

She grips his hand so he can maintain a firmer grip on the crutch,

"I got it now."

"Let's head outside"

Snake begins to walk and Quiet helps him, he still stumbles but he's now beginning to get a firmer grip and rhythm walking. He steps down slowly the three-stepped wooden stair and as he observes his surroundings, he leans with the crutch to the wall right aside the wooden stairs. She gives him a few cigars and matches. "Ah thanks". Quiet sits in a wooden chair to the left of the stairs to clean her rifle.

"Where are we?" asks Snake as he lights the match to smoke his cigar,

"Doesn't this place look familiar to you?"

He takes a closer look to his surrounding and sees the dirt road is sand colored, the white brown rock wall with many cracks, to the right the dirt road seemingly becomes disappears because it goes downhill to that direction and to the left he sees the endless rock wall and mountainous landscapes as far as his eye can see.

"Are we in Afghanistan?"

"Yes, we're near the ruins where you and I first fought."

"Hmm." Observing more carefully the rifle Quiet is cleaning

"Hey, that's the Brennan right? Haven't seen one in years."

"Hmm.."

"Remember how a bullet of that could tear a Skull soldier in half?"

"Hmm…"

"Swoosh!" a strong gust of wind hits them unexpectedly. Snake covers his eye in surprise, while Quiet unfazed continues working.

"Forgot to turn on the radio"

"Radio huh, that brings memories…" Quiet stands from the chair and goes inside the house to turn on the radio.

"_Woaah here she comes, watch out boy she'll chew you up! She's a man-eater" _

As the song plays, both Snake and Quiet begin to reminisce of their time spent on the battlefield together. As she keeps cleaning her rifle, he stares at her and decides to ask, "Why did you save me?" She stops cleaning it and turns her head to Snake's question, "Because….."

That night . . .

Snake is still smoking cigars in front of the house, basked in moonlight. It is a full moon tonight.

"You not coming to bed?" Quiet asks peeking outside the front door looking at him,

"Yeah, my leg is practically cramped up." As he throws off the cigar, he picks up his crutch and heads inside the house to lay on the bed with the help of her. The inside cabin is illuminated with the moonlight. Snake sighs in reliefs as he relaxes on the bed; Quiet begins to take off her clothes.

"You know, I really didn't use clothes here till I took you in…"

"Hmm"

"Basically you're still immune to this right?" She stands in front of the bed, presenting her whole naked body to him without reservations.

"Don't think so anymore." He gets up and leans his back a bit to take a good look at her naked body.

"Did you do it with other women?"

"Only at new year's eve parties, some drunken women would come to my room…."

Quiet lays herself to Snake's left side on the bed, her side is cleared of bed sheets as she cannot cover herself because of her parasite treatment. As she rests her head with her hand, she looks at Snake while he keeps talking about funny times in Outer Heaven.

"What happened to the Seychelles base?"

"We dismantled it completely and took off all its part to keep building Outer Heaven."

Quiet drifts her finger at Snake's abdominal area as he keeps talking. He then looks at her naked body lying beside him and then her eyes.

"Huh, we are looking like a young couple like this."

"Want to do it like a young couple?"

"You're not serious"

"Oh yes I am" Quiet lays herself on top of Snake and looks at him in the eye

"What's stopping us?"

"Quiet.." Snake caresses her belly and with his other hand feels her waist and behind.

"What's stopping us Snake, there's no one else around, just you and me in this made up paradise."

"Quiet I.."

"Let yourself go Snake" she kisses him in the cheek, and places her hand in his crotch, unzipping his pants. Snake looks at her with a serious expression, but lessens it when he sees Quiet's relaxed eyes, for a brief moment, he let go, and felt relaxed and weightless. He gives her a kiss back, signaling his approval while Quiet keeps handing his crotch. Letting a slight groan, Snake delivers himself to the beautiful Sniper.

"You are truly a man-eater…." "Giggle" Quiet kisses Snake's shoulder and stares at him under the moonlight. "Wanna go again?" She puts herself on top of him.


	3. Chapter 3 Shy

**Chapter 3 Shy**

After a while of being asleep with Quiet at his side, Snake wakes up startled from a nightmare.

"Nightmare?"

"Yeah, did I wake you up?"

"No, I don't sleep much"

"Because of your treatment?"

"Somewhat"

"Hmm.."

"So, what was your nightmare about" she asks while sliding her fingers on Snake shoulders and looking seriously at him.

"The night at the Hospital"

"The hospital?"

"Where you and I first met, remember, you went down there to kill me." She nods, remembering those long years ago

"I know… what you saw?"

"In the nightmare, it was more like a flashback, when you came into the room and killed the doctor and then you went to me. Only something was different, you pointed the gun at me and told me If only we shared a common tongue." Quiet gets tense for a moment, removing her hand from his shoulder…

"Then BANG!" "Ahh!" Quiet gets surprised after Snake playfully presses her stomach with his fist

"Snake you startled me!"

Snake hugs her, giving off a gentle smile, feeling her embrace.

"It's weird, seeing you this playful." Quiet remarks,

"Yeah, I can be free here, no longer have to maintain that façade of being Big Boss… well I don't want to talk about this anymore, I'm going back to sleep." Snake settles to the left side of the bed, forcing himself off from her arms.

Quiet lifts herself in seating position in the bed, she looks at Snake's exposed back, all covered in scars and old bruises. Extending her hand to feel his scars, she hold back, out of concern not to wake him up. She then sighs, and lets her mind wander a drift.

Truth of the matter is, in her mind, she too had a nightmare. She too sleeps but very less so than normal people. The few hours she sleeps, she goes into a very brief moment of deep sleep, lasts from 1 minute to 3 tops. In that short time, she dreams, or rather, relives the worst moments from her life. Like Snake, she too hasn't had an easy life, as a soldier. Tonight's nightmare was a special one for her, as this is the first time she shared herself with the Man she has only ever admired, a Man she delivered herself to.

Her nightmare, took her to the Afghanistan ruins, under the heating sun and clear blue sky, where she fought against Big Boss. When he arrived, she felt adrenaline in her, because it was a chance to fight against the legendary soldier himself.

"With my abilities, there's no way he'll surpass me." She thought, as she looks through her scope and has Snake in sight. She hums her favorite sung and as he approaches, the trigger is pulled.

The fight starts; she is observing Snake while he figures out what to do. As the fight ensue on, she had underestimated him

"This is the end of me. What a humiliation."

When Snake approaches her, she feels helpless, as she cannot willingly move her body, just observe helplessly as the legendary soldier keeps approaching.

He draws out a gun and points at her, "Snake" she whispers, "If only we shared a common tongue."

BANG!

She feels a slight sting to her heart, jumping in surprise after reliving in her mind the nightmare. Grasping tightly her chest with the left hand, she closes her eyes and reminds herself where she is now.

After taking a deep breath, she hears three taps on the door. She goes to the front door, all naked, not bothering to cover herself up. Opening the door, she takes a small vial that she inserted deep in her vagina, the tube slides off easily with her two fingers. Hands out the vial to the person outside the door,

"I have done as requested, here's the sample. Do you need me tonight? No, all right, how much longer?"


	4. Chapter 4 Quiet's past, part 1

**Chapter 4 Quiet's past, part 1**

A long time ago, on a desolate town in Russia, covered in smog all over, a very gloom town. Skull Face found me on the street. Passing by with a few xof soldiers of his, he turns and looks at me,

"You, you know the language of revenge."

I tilt my head up to see him; I could barely see his face because of my hunger and sickness. It was a cold day, this is the earliest memory of mine, as the past before that moment I have forgotten entirely, and all I was left with that day was a deep desire for revenge and violence.

"Ah but look where you are now, if you wish to continue your quest for revenge, come with me child, I will help you."

He crouches and pats my head, "Child, do not fear, I will give you the tools to help you through this, welcome to xof."

And just like that I was taken to xof forces.

Skull Face sent me to the secret xof headquarters located in a isolated area in Baskerville, England. The headquarters was a military site surrounded by a 18 feet high fence all spiked. There was a big garage for our vehicles and weapons. The main building also housed more vehicles, an upper office floor where Skull Face would receive his orders or deliver them to his soldiers whenever he wasn't around. Lastly, there was a room with many bunk beds where the soldiers would rest. Outside he had a target practice area and a gym area for his soldiers to keep honing their skills.

When I arrived with him, he put me through a very rigorous military training regime. He was breeding me to be a top assassin for him, do his dirty work. Occasionally he would visit and check on me. Few years later, I had already grown up and became a fully-fledged soldier. Skull Face came to the base to pick me up and take me to Egypt on my fist infiltration mission. I was to retrieve an important pin from a museum, think of it as a simulation training, as no killing was involved, and just get the grasp of infiltration missions.

My training was specialization on stealth kills and infiltrations. After successfully stealing the pin without setting off alarm, I ran two miles off the museum site under the cold night and boarded a chopper that was waiting for me. Skull Face was sitting there anticipating the good news, I give him the pin "Here master, mission complete."

"Well done child, we are now going to mother base to prepare for your second mission."

Through the trip, he kept looking over the pin while I stand by in silence. After we arrive at the base, he orders some of his soldiers to replicate the pin and let him know when it's finished.

"You are to stand by child, when the pin is finished we'll go out again."

Few months later, when it was finished, he tasked me to deliver the pin on a top-secret building. He explained to me that he set a trap on the pin and it could be detected by regular security measures. Skull Face said that it was very important that I succeed the mission. The mission took place in New York Hell's Kitchen. For this time also, I could not kill any person that were stationed there, I was to deliver the pin at a specific room. He showed me the place's blueprints, I would enter by a venting hole on the floor, exit by the locker rooms vent and make my way to a particular waiting room, which lies beside a secret door that takes you a closed off floor. Skull Face would not give me the details of this. He only said to drop the package at a wooden side table.

The mission took place on a rainy day on Sunday, he set up a food themed joint parade to lure out most workers from the building as possible, he remarked that Sunday there was less security. Skull Face's plan worked and I could carry on the mission with no problem. As I complete the mission,

"The mission's done Master."

"Ah, well done child, well done. Now come back to me."

As I begin to exit the place I truly wonder, what was so important about that pin Skull Face was so adamant about?

Few years later…

"Child, you will now help me establish myself as the top head of Cipher.." "Cipher?" "Yes, Cipher is the intelligence organization that employs us XOF, now with their top boss soon to be gone; you will eliminate further bosses so XOF can rise to the top."

He pats my head again,

"Worry not child, I'm sure you can do this."

Skull Face returned to Africa and he left me alone in the secret xof headquarters, where I would stand by for further orders. Whenever I got a mission via proxy call, he would left me a care package with all the specific tools I would need to complete the mission. The traveling arrangements I would have to do myself, guess it was his way to tell me to be a bit more independent.

12 targets, twelve targets around the globe, this took me half a year to complete. All that time I would stand by xof headquarters, carry on the mission and return. Only one time I was assigned to kill a target that was close by Skull Face, he stationed himself in Africa doing a research he would not tell me about. After I completed all my missions, Skull Face gave me two week rests, he said I could go anywhere on vacation. However, I didn't want to travel, I was feeling exhausted, so I opted to stay at the secret headquarters. During boredom, I went on to the archive room and decided to look around.

The room was a mess, folders everywhere and a big table was just full of papers. While smoking a cigarette, a particular archive drawer caught my eye, it had sprayed on the side "Big Boss". I had never heard such a name before, so full of curiosity I open the first desk and find a folder labeled "Operation Snake Eater, 1964". I put a chair besides the archive drawer and decided to read all the contents of the folder. Puffing the cigarette, I see the picture of this man, wearing a one eye patch, he had a serious expression about him.

"Snake"

I read aloud,

"aka Big Boss",

somehow my chest tightens a little, I see this man for the first time and something just made me flutter my chest, maybe it was excitement.

I keep pulling folders and keep reading all the files related to this man, the actions he has taken. From what I understood, after he was forced by the government to kill a legendary soldier who defected to the Soviet Union, he steered off from the government and established his own militia. The last folder I pull is labeled "Operation Ground Zeroes" the name somehow sounded familiar to me. When I read it, I remember this was a strike force operation, which Skull Face personally undertook and lost quite a few of his men. I was still in training, when they left, he left me alone in the headquarters. The last page reads,

"Is he dead? The search goes on..."


	5. Chapter 5 Rebel Yell

**Chapter 5 "Rebel Yell"**

"Wake up, we're going hunting."

Quiet throws some clothes to the naked Snake while he is still half-asleep. "Huh, hunting?"

"Yeah, you got to eat right? Now get up."

"Take it easy man-eater."

Quiet grins as she heads out to the door.

"So, what are we going to hunt?" Asks Snake as he puts the clothes on,

"Not hunt really, more like gather food and wood for the fireplace, sometimes it gets real cold here.."

"Hmm." Snake lights up a cigar, picks up the crutch and heads out the door. "What, we going to walk?"

"No, I have a vehicle here." Quiet goes to back of the cabin and takes out the vehicle,

"Hop in"

"Where did ya find one of these?"

The vehicle looked familiar to Snake; it looked like one of the 4x4 he used to drive through the desert but without the Diamond Dogs logo.

"I borrowed it..."

"Sure." Puffing another from the cigar, Snake throws the crutch and gets on the vehicle.

As Quiet drives through the deserted road, surrounded by cliffs of mountains on both sides, Snake reminisces again about 10 years ago. Quiet hums her favorite song. In this short road trip, the couple share the moment in silence, she continues to hum her favorite song while he keeps looking to the road ahead, appreciating the landscape he used to roam so often before. They arrive at place, Snake finds so familiar.

"We're here."

"This is…"

"Yeah."

Exiting the vehicle, Quiet stretches her arms and a breath in relief. Being cooped up in the cabin takes a toll; she wanted the fresh air. "Why are we here?"

"I told you, hunting."

"This is where you and I first fought, it hasn't changed much''

"Yeah, this is a favorite place of mine to come and relax to."

"Hmm the ruined structures hasn't decayed that much, there's still animals around?"

"Sure, I have bought some of them here so they could breed, take a good look around."

Snake while supporting himself from the crutch, he looks around the ruins and finds himself amused at the amount of animals living here. He notices goats, chickens, few birds, lizards and even a few wolfs.

"This place has become a sort of farm for me, I come here to raise these animals. I even grow food here even though I don't eat them, and that's how the day goes by for me."

"I see..."

"Anyway, sit around and make yourself comfortable, I've got to work here."

"All right"

Snake presses his back to a half torn brick wall and sits down, watching the Sniper do her chores. He lights another cigar and observes her, somehow, he begins to feel relaxed and weightless. She keeps working, concentrated on her chores, feeding the chickens, taking their eggs and herding the goats.

"Howl!" "Snake, come here quick!" Snake gets up and goes to Quiet, she's under a tree, crouching over. When he takes a closer look, she's helping a wolf give birth.

"Give me your shirt."

Snake complies and hands her his shirt. He continues to observe her, "what a beauty" Snake thoughts as he continues to observe Quiet work with the female wolf. As the animal keeps pushing, Snake stands there, crouches over a bit and caresses the wolf's hair. He keeps watching Quiet, the more he observes her the more he is mesmerized by her serious expression. He observes her in silence. "We're almost done." He nods in agreement. The wolf lets out one last howl before she finishes giving birth.

"Aww three puppies. Look Snake."

"Yeah, I see them."

Snake gives out a slight smile, when Quiet turns to look at him, she reacts surprised seeing the usually stoic soldier smile.

"Snake, help me press here."

"Right..." he snaps out of his smile and haste to help Quiet.

"Here?"

"Yeah." After finishing working with the wolf, Snake sits down, feeling unusually exhausted. Quiet goes to the nearby waterfall to refresh herself. She takes out her boots, bra and pantyhose. Snake continues to watch her, when she caresses her long beautiful hair removing the hair band and waving her hair in relief, he begins to feel aroused. When Quiet notices his unusual expression, she turns to him from afar,

"Snake?"

"Oh, it's nothing."

The soldier crosses his leg in embarrassment. As she exits the waterfall, she walks towards him. In that moment he locks eyes on her, letting a serious expression, matching hers. She bents over, they keep locked at their eyes, Snake tries to say something before

"Let's go." Quiet picks up her bra, which was lying beside Snake unbeknownst to him. "Right..." Dusk is breaking now, night is coming soon. Quiet picks a bag after finishing putting her clothes and Snake heads off to the vehicle.


	6. Chapter 6 Love will tear us apart

**Chapter 6 "Love will tear us apart"**

On the way back to the cabin, Snake keeps appreciating the deserted landscape with its rocky mountain under the sunlight from dusk. Quiet has been silent through the drive prompting Snake to wonder about her unusual silence. He turns to her, notices she still has a serious expression on her face, she sighs every now and then. Deciding not to pay too much attention to it, he lits a cigar. They arrive at the cabin, Quiet gets down and picks up a few things she got from the ruins. Snake exits the vehicle and goes to the cabin.

Later on . . .

After serving dinner to Snake, Quiet has spent the majority of the afternoon and evening outside smoking, while Snake has remained sitting on the table disarming and arming the handgun as a ways to pass the time. This was an evening shared in silence, Snake gets up to bed. After making himself comfortable, he wonders how to ask Quiet about her sudden silent behavior. Quiet enters the cabin and begins to take off her clothes. When he feels she has gotten to the bed, he notices she's sideways facing the other way, not wanting to look at him. Snake puts his hand on her shoulders. She turns towards him still sporting her serious expression.

"Are you thinking about way back?"

"Maybe…"

"You're still thinking about the past huh?"

"Hmm.."

Snake turns closer to her, "Quiet, I think I have never said how really beautiful you are."

Quiet begins to drop her serious gaze, Snake looks at her face and slides his finger down her cheek,

"You are one hell of a woman."

"Snake…"

He kisses her lips then begins to kiss her neck, and smell her, she lets out a slight moan tightening her grip on his body more. They proceed to share a passionate kiss; Snake puts his hands on her crotch this time, Quiet gasps in surprise and their passionate kiss become even more intense. Tears begins to fall down her cheek, she's the one delivering herself fully to him.

Quiet continues moaning slightly, feeling the legendary soldier inside her. As they continue on, she is haunted by memories of her past. She resists, trying to experience fully the moment. Putting herself on top of Snake, their lovemaking grows even more intense. Snake now begins to moan a bit, and they share another passionate kiss again. As they are about to climax, Snake is also hit by flashing images of the past, seeing images of when he willingly let Quiet be tortured by his men. He throws Quiet to the side of the bed, not letting himself finish inside her.

The two of them are now trying to catch their breath;

"Sorry..." says Snake sounding a bit fatigued. Quiet laying facedown

"It's okay; I know what was happening…"

"Quiet I…"

"We'll talk about it tomorrow."

She kisses him on the lips and goes to sleep. Snake has his mind now wondering, about the images he saw and now started to feel something. Maybe it was regret or something else. He goes to sleep too.

Later that night…

Snake wakes up, this time he dreamt about the time he let Quiet get tortured by his men. He had known she was in love with him, but he could not do anything about this because of his role as Big Boss. At that moment, sitting on the side of the bed, his mind goes adrift of when they shared a final battle. It was when she left mother base because of the wolbachia mutation, fearing she would infect everyone and get herself killed. Right before he got bitten by that snake, the only thoughts that were running in his head was to get her safely to the base. And he would do all he could to not get her killed from Miller, he was growing weary from Miller's constant screaming.

When the snake had bitten him, and he was dying, Quiet was tending to his wounds. As the call from Pequod comes in, she tries to communicate in Navajo but the pilot would not understand. When she hesitates, she knew what she had to do, Snake looks hopelessly at her, being unable to speak. As she begins communicating in English, Snake begins to feel stings to his heart, he knows what was going to happen, she was already going to die. The more she talked the more painful the stings became; he was watching helplessly as his friend sacrifices herself for him.

"This role of Big Boss… why?" When he closes his eyes...

"One last time…."

After waking up, he notices his soldiers are ignoring him when he asks for the female sniper. After following footsteps left in the desert, he finds a cassette tape. Quickly listening to it, his heart grows heavy,

"I wanted to express my feelings to you…if only we shared a common tongue…"

Snake gasps in realization now, they could now talk, and they now have a common tongue. When he looks to the side of the bed, wanting to wake up Quiet, he notices she is not there, as he looks to the front door, its open, and a slight beam of light is emanating from a vehicle.


	7. Chapter 7 Quiet's past, part 2

**Chapter 7 "Quiet's past, part 2"**

Skull Face had picked up something serious during his research on Africa and called me.

"Child, something unexpected has happened here in Africa, I have to stay much longer than expected. There is another research team working on something on Afghanistan. You will depart to Afghanistan and you will be briefed on the situation there and your mission. You will act as a bodyguard to someone. Depart to Afghanistan; someone will be waiting for you there."

I pack my bags to leave for the airport. When I arrive to Afghanistan, one of the fellows XOF soldiers escort me to a research site. Reaching there, a soldier briefs me on my mission.

"Your mission will be that of a bodyguard, there's a very important scientist here working, he needs to be watched and make sure he does his work"

"Why am I on this?"

"The scientists finds himself distraught after a recent incident, even death threats don't motivate him enough, and he's very fond of women, so having you watching him can put him at ease. Any more questions?"

"No sir."

The soldier escorts me to this big strange building. It was about a quarter of a football field long. You cannot see anything outside; the building had no windows of any sorts, just a very small thin gap surrounding the rectangular structure. The entrance was an electric sliding door that required a keycard to open it. As the soldier uses his keycard to open the door, I step in and take a good look at the inside of the building. This was a lab; I noticed many walker gears hanging on the walls, almost an endless row. The scientist working had a big table with many blueprints laying around and walker parts. Surrounding the table were many servers-like machine where he used them to materialize the walker parts.

"Emmerich! Present yourself!" yells the soldier as he steps inside the building. There comes this man wearing strange mechanical legs

"Pre present, sir…" responds very nervously. He was wearing a white coat, sporting glasses and a very nervous face.

"Doctor, this woman has been assigned to watch over you, we have pulled off the squad so you can work in peace, take this as kindness from Skull Face!"

"a woman?" His voice didn't sound manly either, it was a bit high pitched. "Didn't you hear me?"

"Ah ah I did sir…"

"If he gets handy with you, you can beat him, just don't kill him or incapacitate him." the soldier whispers to my ear. As he leaves, Emmerich keeps staring at me

"Go back to work doctor!" I yell at him,

"Uh right!". I sit on a nearby chair, putting my feet on the table and laying my head with my arms and observe him do his work.

Hours go very slow, all he does is sit with his mechanical legs working on a computer or scribbling some blue prints. He then decides to talk; he begins to talk about his life, family. Then he says something that catches my attention "Then I met Big Boss.."

"Big Boss?"

"Ye.. yeah the legendary soldier himself."

"Tell me more about him"

"He… him? I thought all you soldiers know about him."

"Go on..."

"Right… well I met him…" The doctor proceeds to tell me all about a man I had never met.

I felt astonished at the feats this man had achieved, the time flew by for every tale I heard from him. Then I asked something about him that really hit a nerve on the doctor

"What happened in Costa Rica's base?"

He grew pale and turned his gaze to me away from his computer

"I.. I didn't know, I swear, the inspection was supposed to help everyone." "Doctor?" He got very nervous

"Plea please believe me!" on his knees he pleads to me like holy mary, grabbing both my arms.

"Doctor, continue your work."

Few weeks after I get a call, "Child, your bodyguard gig is up, you are going on a strike force mission now."

"Master?"

"One of my men is going to pick you up now as we speak, he will brief you."

My next mission was to assassinate someone in a Hospital on Dekhelia. The target, Big Boss himself. Apparently Skull Face told me the team had been tracking him down these past 9 years, but weren't able to find him anywhere. Until they got a tip that someone woke up from a 9 year-long coma in Dekhelia. Skull Face deduced that the target was certainly in there because the hospital is one of Ciphers secret bases.

"Clever ruse that must be from him himself" says Skull Face, as we are on the chopper on route to the Hospital.

"Child, complete this mission and XOF plan will be complete. Cipher will no longer have competitors."

As we arrive close to the hospital, I look at Skull Face and he gazes down to his feet, only waiting for the mission to be completed.

"Remember the Alamo!" He screams as I drop down with the rope.

For this mission, Skull Face said it was easier to silently kill the target before using a strike force team. Therefore, the strike force team would serve as backup and kill all targets in the hospital vicinity, as most likely the target would blend with the crowd. Before the team makes a ruckus, I quickly make my way to the target's room on the hospital. As I arrive, I first kill the nurse, and then proceed to strangle the doctor. Big Boss is laying there, watching helplessly, he looks thin and old. After I finish killing the doctor, I get a call from Skull Face

"Is he dead?"

"Not yet, the patient in the next bed saw my face."

"Carry on..." "Yes, consider it done."


	8. Chapter 8 Midnight Mirage

**Chapter 8 "Midnight mirage"**

Picking up his crutch, he walks quickly to the opened front door. When he arrives, he notices the vehicle beam has disappeared.

"Quiet" he whispers in worry, what could be happening here. He picks up a gun that was in a drawer on the right side of the bed and a flashlight. Also puts on the shirt and boots he had taken off earlier. As he steps outside, he looks to the floor, searching for tracks. Even though it was night, the flashlight helped him look down for clues. After careful examination, he notices the tracks go to the right side of the road from the viewpoint of the house.

He decides to check the back if Quiet's vehicle is still there. When he arrives, he wonders when he finds the vehicle intact "maybe a passerby, but no…"

He keeps staring at the vehicle wondering about the situation, Quiet is not around the house, front door open, "maybe the ruins?" but somehow it sounds unlikely to him, there must be something else. Then he remembers about waking up slightly and hearing a tired old voice. "Where she could have gone off to…" He decides to step back in the house and wait for her to come back, maybe she is smoking around and he cannot see her because of the night. If anything, should she not come back, he would still wait by daytime so he can get a better view of the tracks.

Snake falls asleep on the couch; he then wakes up because of a noise. It's still night, he fell asleep for a few hours. He picks up the gun and looks for the source of the noise, he hears footsteps and slight knocks to the wall on the left side of the house. He quickly picks up the crutch and the flashlight, he goes outside to the front door, but doesn't hear anything anymore. Then he feels the whole house has gone too quiet, with a slight chill on his back, he gets into reflex mode. A shadowy figure is on his back; he turns around in 180 degrees fashion and hits the shadowy figure with his gun, the figure falling to the floor face down. "Who are you!?" when he looks closer pointing with the gun and flashlight cqc fashion, supporting with his armpit the crutch with much effort. He notices it is a person but he cannot make out its features because of the dim flashlight.

The person stumbles to get up and starts to make gasping noises, this specific noise, takes Snake aback by surprise. He quickly points the gun to the body as it struggles to get up. When it gets up, Snake notices its emitting something from its mouth

"How?..." He gets a closer glimpse and as the body charges towards him, Snake fires his gun two times at the head. When it falls down, he steps back and tries to assess the situation.

"Could, could he have been sent to kill me?" Then he hears a very loud explosion like sound, even the house shook. Not wanting to wait any longer, he decides to step outside and examine the source of the explosion,

"Hmm it sounded just behind this." In front of him was a mountain sledge wall, he would get on the vehicle turn around it to see what was that explosion.

As he passes through the house and makes the left turn, he notices a cave entrance beneath the mountain. It's still dark, but only a few hours more until dawn. As he gets closer to the cave, he leaves the vehicle with the lights on so it could guide him to the cave. Entering, supporting himself with the crutch and the gun with his other hand, a particular smell crosses his nose.

"Ripe…. Smells sweet fruit." When he keeps walking deeper into the cave, it gets darker. He takes out the flashlight. "Still nothing here…"

He keeps going deeper to the cave and suddenly the sweet smell hit him again, but stronger. "Sweet fruit… what is this?" he suddenly starts to get dizzy "Frui…." he loses his grips on the crutch and falls down, then a splitting headache strikes him out of nowhere "Gah!".

He passes out from the excruciating pain. As he begins to open his eye, everything is blurry

"It is not ready yet, E… I need a stronger sample!" he hears the tired old voice again,

"He's awake..." a familiar female voice,

"Quick, give him another dosage, he cannot remember this!"

"Yes master…" Something is injected to Snake's neck and he passes out again.


	9. Chapter 9 She blinded me

**Chapter 9 "She blinded me..."**

"Snake… Snake… Snake!"

Opening his eyes, he sees Quiet shaking his shoulders, get him to respond. "Quiet?"

"Snake are you feeling all right?"

"Ye… yeah…. Why are you so worried?"

"You wouldn't wake up for three days…I thought you went to a coma..." "Coma? I was just waiting for you last….wait…"

"No Snake, I went out at night to smoke and when I went inside you had fallen from the bed, knocked out."

"But why it feels like it was last night, and why I can't remember any of it" "Just take a deep breath Snake..."

He lays on the bed again feeling a slight headache and confusion.

Quiet gets up to make him a breakfast, "I even feel dizzy..." he touches his head to lower his dizziness

"it'll go away..." Quiet comes to him holding a tray with his grub,

"Here, eat."

"Thanks..." He looks at Quiet and notices something is strange about her behavior; she sets the tray and quickly goes to the front door, not wanting to look at him. He sits there in the bed, wondering. After he finishes, he gets up, picks up his crutch and goes outside to smoke cigars. He notices Quiet cleaning her rifle.

"That Brennan again…" As he lits up his cigar, he notices Quiet is flustered, something is bothering her. He goes to her and puts his hand on her shoulder, she turns to him in surprise

"Bo boss?" "Quiet, what's wrong?"

"No nothing…." He decides to sit alongside her, watching her work. She begins to get a bit nervous but then feels relaxed in the legendary soldier's presence.

The more he observes Quiet, the lighter his heart feels, smoking the cigar, he feels like he is in heaven.

"Damn it..."

"Sna Snake?"

"You're such a beauty." She begins to feel flustered and her brennan falls from her grip,

"Ah..." he grabs her hands.

"It's okay.."she turns, she sees him sporting a relaxed expression with a calm smile. He then proceeds to kiss her

"Didn't you say this was a made-up paradise?" asking between the moments he lets out his lips from her, Quiet proceeds to kiss him more intensely.

"Ye yeah…"

"We're like Adam and Eve here…". She forces herself out from his lips after hearing the name Eve, she feels surprised, blushy and confused.

"Hey…" asks Snake as he touches her shoulder again. Without saying a word Quiet goes back to the house, all flustered. Snake decides to get up and light another cigar. Quiet is laying down on the bed, letting out tears and hugging intensely the pillow.

She feels pressure, she was working on something she would not reveal to him, but at the same time, she needed him. Tears go from her face because of the intense emotions; she had never felt anything like this before. Her heart tightens, and in her mind all what she sees is him and feeling his lips. She begins to feel aroused. When she hears the footsteps climbing the stairs and a slight knock on the door, she quickly gets up. Seeing him, she goes to him quickly and kisses again. She hugs him strongly and he embraces her. They go to the couch and continue their intense kissing. She begins to take off her clothes and his.

After finishing, Snake lies sitting all-naked on the couch, while Quiet is laying there with her feet in his lap all bare too. Their clothes are scattered all over the bear fur.

"This is the best thing I have done in my life..." murmurs Snake, but Quiet could hear him. Quiet was sporting a gentle smile, but tears were still falling from her face.

"Quiet…" "Hmm?" "I think it's time we talked." She sits on the couch, looking down on the floor then to him.

"Even though you saved me, why did you still want revenge?" Quiet takes a deep breath "Skull Face",

"Skull Face?"

"Yes, it started with his revenge that he passed on to me; I inherited his rage and hatred toward the world. However, when I fell in silence, I began to love the world, choosing the language of gratitude instead. But with you, there was a part of me who still wanted to settle the score after that defeat in the ruins. I wanted to kill myself first because of the humiliation, I was already having it hard being unable to speak, and then you defeat me, despite my enhanced abilities. Nevertheless, you didn't let me kill myself, you further humiliated at me first. I knew you would take me to your base and torture me eventually. And part of it did, you would not intervene whenever that Miller would go on his ranting and when he tortured me. I knew you couldn't but still, it made me feel rage inside… I hated every one of your soldiers working there. The only reason I did not get the parasite treatment was because of them. The only one who would stand between my death and me was Ocelot. And someday even he could go out his way against me. So eventually, I had to leave Snake; your pals are what caused my exile, not my speaking English."

Snake sits there in silence, listening to the words of rage his lover has expressed. He lits a cigar and takes a deep breath. Quiet gets up, puts her clothes and goes outside. He now lets his mind go adrift, while she's outside smoking a cigarette and letting the rage pass on. He puts on his clothes and sits on the table, still smoking. He looks outside and sees Quiet leaning her back with the opened front door. She lets a deep sigh, throwing the cigarette "I'm going to the ruins." Snake doesn't say anything. She gets on the vehicle and laves him alone in the house.

As he keeps staring the wooden wall, finishing the cigar, he remembers all the things he had done and didn't do. When he ordered the men to put her in a cell, when she saved the necklace, the time they fought in the base over a wounded soldier because of her. He also remembers the time she helped him escort and extract the children from Africa, how she wanted to intervene in Eli's battle but he ordered her to stand down. He realizes that some of those moments they shared their bond would grow. Even if she were to speak English, he would be just like her. Because at that time he didn't really want to speak, his emotional pain and burning sensation of revenge robbed him of most words. They both enjoyed killing, basking themselves in blood of their enemies. She was a demon just as much as he was. And he felt brokenhearted when she left him.


	10. Chapter 10 She's a maneater

**Chapter 10 "She's a man-eater…."**

After Quiet finishes working on the ruins, tending the animals, it is already dusk. She picks up a few things and goes to the vehicle. After throwing the bag of food she has collected, she turns the vehicle on. Driving through the deserted landscape, her mind goes off to the past again. She remembers the time Snake defeated her, when she wanted to get on the chopper with him but couldn't because of Miller. When she eventually began to assist him on his missions. Fondly remembering the time he went out of his way to rescue the children when he didn't have to in the first place. When they had reached the extraction point, she was acting as point guard and shooting the incoming soldiers. When she saw Snake putting the children on the chopper, that rainy night she began to fall for him, staring at him when the chopper goes for take-off and he signals her to get on.

The few times he would come by to visit her cell, he would sit by and smoke his electric cigar. The radio playing out loud and relaxing from the constant battlefield. Smiling as she keeps fondly remembering the good times with the legend. The final battle they shared, fending off those tanks, when he extended his hands to give her a handshake as a congratulation for her actions. However, that got interrupted by the tank that almost killed them. Her wound was serious, but Big Boss strived to carry her on and bring her alive to Mother Base.

After being poisoned by the snakebite, Quiet gets up and decides to tend to the Boss's wound while waiting for the chopper to arrive. But because the sandstorm wouldn't let up, the chopper could not get an exact location on them, when the pilot called, she hesitated. First speaking in Navajo to see if she could still make it, the pilot Pequod would not respond to the language. Her heart feeling heavy, bombarded with many confusing thoughts, whether leave the Boss to die or save him. "But he's Big Boss…" she thinks that the man still has much to offer for the world, he still has the responsibility to run Mother Base and achieve the soldier's dreams. It wouldn't matter what would happen to her then, it was enough, the time they shared, even though they didn't spoke directly…. was enough.

Her only regret was she wasn't able to express her feelings for him, the admiration for his actions, the times he would carry her on his arms. She learned to appreciate the world more, that maybe this demon had something more to offer than just taking lives. The day she jumped into the chlorine-infested room to retreat a child's necklace, was proof of the admiration and gratitude she had grown for him. Her heart became fast when the Boss picked her up and carried her again. And lastly, the time she played in the rain with him. She had never felt relaxed and weightless, also feeling the slight warmth of embrace with a man. Before that, she had spent a lifetime on the battlefield fueled by revenge. For a brief moment, she wanted more, she wanted to embrace him completely, but she could not, he was Big Boss, and she was just a prisoner. After that she decided, she would never speak English again, being alongside the legendary soldier was enough happiness for her. Snapping out of her confusion, she grips the idroid tightly "The Boss is with me….."

Tears begin to fall out again, and she decides to hum her favorite song. Arriving the house, she parks the vehicle and takes out the bag. As she goes to the front door, Snake is sitting on the floor, leaning his back to the wooden wall alongside the front door. When she had passed by just now she didn't notice him. He turns to look at her, she looks at him back, sharing a moment of silence. He wanted to apologize, she wanted to express her feelings, but somehow, their silent gaze were words enough. Both smiling, Quiet begins to laugh and Snake laughs too. Quiet happily steps to the inside of the house, putting the bag on the table. She begins to cook while humming her favorite song again.

After finishing making dinner, she goes to the front door peeking outside, she looks at Snake sporting a smile "Snake" "Yeah, coming in." When he sits down to eat, she cleans the small kitchen. After she finishes she sits across the table from Snake, and watches him eat, playfully she tilts her head around humming. Finishing the food, Quiet takes his plate and quickly cleans it. She then sits again across him. "That was good." "Hmm." The couple begin to talk and their conversation last well into the night.

As Snake lays on the bed, he sees Quiet taking off her clothes; he keeps staring at her. She notices this, "Snake, stop staring at me so much when I'm undressing." "Can't help it, you are one hell of a woman." She laughs at the comment, and then gets on the bed, cuddling Snake's body. There was not going to be love making this night, this night the couple wanted to feel themselves in their arms. Tonight they were free, no longer prisoners of their past fate. Quiet hugs him, and he caresses her shoulder, looking at their eyes, they both feel relaxed and weightless. "Thank you for this." Says Snake expressing his gratitude, "I always admired you." Quiet expresses looking at him. They both lay asleep in each other arms.


	11. Chapter 11 Quiet's past, part 3

**Chapter 11 "Quiet's past, part 3"**

"Child, do not worry, you will still have your revenge."

Skull Face caresses my hair while I lay burnt in the chopper. I was still awake but in great pain and I could barely breathe. The medical officer put me an oxygen mask and gave me iv fluids to try to numb the pain. I could not believe what was happening, I had been defeated, I could not kill the target despite my best efforts. Skull Face sits down and keeps looking at me

"I will take you to a special place and cure you my child, yet, make you even better." I begin to close my eyes,

"Remember child, you are the instrument for my revenge..."

"Skull, what have you bought me here?"

"Old man, this woman is in need of your help, she has been burned inside and out, most of her organs are cooked, but she's still alive."

"Skull Face… the treatment can be a fate worse than death for her"

"Do not question me old man, do as I say!"

"All right Skull…"

"She will become a better soldier than ever; she will carry out my revenge for Big Boss, my last trump card…"

I was actually in a medically induced coma when I taken into the old man's care, Code Talker. He worked on me in the devil's warehouse where Shabani was going to die later on. He breeded a special type of parasite that would fuse with the host and give it enhanced abilities. That day the warehouse was empty, only the old man and a few bodyguards. When he injected the parasite in me, I was rinsed upon my burnt body with clear water so the parasite could grow. As the parasite reached full maturity, it began to take in the water and expand in through my body.

It began to heal, my burnt skin was peeling off and a new skin took place. Then I woke up because the parasite started to expand itself in me through some of my nerve endings, I began to feel extreme pain I never felt before. I clenched my fists and let out a scream so loud that I went mute the next few seconds.

"The parasite is replacing your burnt organs, it will hurt…"

The pain gets even more intense and I yell again, struggling on the bed to get out "Men, hold her down, the treatment is not yet complete" Code Talker orders, two men quickly comply and force me down the bed.

Code Talker began to speak a language I had never heard before and then suddenly the parasite inside grew even more restless, the pain got even worse. Somehow, I started to become invisible then visible again "it's working" says Code Talker taking a closer look at me. "Almost there my dear, almost there…" I could not really hold the pain any longer, I wanted to kill myself but I hold myself a little longer, enduring the excruciating pain.

"Child, you will be my instrument of revenge…" remembering those words gave me the final strength I needed to endure this hellish treatment, suddenly when I feel nothing, I quickly force myself off the two men holding me down and knock them down. Code Talker takes a few steps back with his wheelchair, "it worked…" true indeed, my strength recovered, no, I felt even stronger than before. As I look at him, I notice I'm naked, I grab a nearby sheet to cover myself "No!" when I cover myself I feel like I'm going to run out of air. "No woman, you cannot do that, you will suffocate" I throw the sheet off and cover myself.

"What did you do to me?"

"I saved you, on Skull Face orders…." Code Talker proceeds to explain me the details of the treatment. Right now, the parasite has completely fused with my body; I can no longer eat or have digestive functions.

"Only water will be your source of nutrition, water and sun."

"What can I do about clothes; I can't be naked all the time"

"Wear clothes that expose your skin as much as possible don't cover yourself fully. Here take a look."

Code Talker hands me a mirror, when I look at myself, I see my body has fully recovered and even gained some muscle mass, then when I look to my face I notice I have longer hair, how could this be. The old man proceeds to explain to me that during the treatment, the parasite expanded itself through all my nerve endings and it stimulated hair growth.

"You can shave your head for a better exposure of water and sun…"

"No, I like it better like this."

"Good, Skull Face told me that after you awaken up there's a briefing package he left got you in the next room. Here take this"

Code Talker hands me some underwear, I put it on in front of him, then I proceed to the next room.

Skull Face left me a folder with documents of targets and his orders, I was to be deployed to Afghanistan and take out some Soviet soldiers and commanders whom had been working closely to him. Because of my new abilities, I didn't have to do infiltration missions, taking out the targets from afar was enough for me. Skull Face foresaw this, and left me two sniper guns and a few flashbangs. I look around the place for some other clothes to put on; I find my boots, gloves and black pantyhose.

"This is enough."

I did not have to wear the xof uniform. When I look at myself at a bigger mirror, "Hmm, I like this"

Code Talker hands me a hair band and I tie my hair. "You look beautiful my dear."

"Thank you Code Talker, my name is ….."

"I will not remember any of this dear, so don't bother with introductions. Skull Face will wipe my memory off very soon so he can make me a target for you. But do not worry about that, I have lived long enough."

I say my goodbye to Code Talker and board a chopper that had arrived for me. That day I was deployed to Afghanistan. When I arrived at the research center, I saw Skull Face holding a green vial

"Child, take this, you will now be in silence"

"What is this?"

"That is the English strain parasite, this will help you deliver my revenge to the world should I fail."

I look at the vial as he hands it down to me,

"You cannot speak English child, that's the price you pay for revenge."

"Yes master..."

Without a second thought, I consume the parasite and take my vow of silence. After that, whenever I took out targets, I would stand by on Skull Face orders via proxy. I never saw Skull Face again after that.

One day I hear rumors about a one-eyed man causing havoc among the soviet forces, a monster they called him, killing many soldiers and making many others disappear. "It has to be him..." my heart knew that Big Boss was still alive, and now I could finally settle the score. So, when I heard he was going to extract Emmerich, Skull Face ordered me to stand by the ruins, he was sure to pass through there. I lay at the top of the ruined arch, rifle ready, to receive my enemy.


	12. Chapter 12 Behind the Drapery

**Chapter 12 "Behind the drapery"**

Snake was asleep, Quiet wakes up from her brief deep sleep and feels somethings down her stomach.

"Could it be..." She gets up from the bed and touches her stomach; she lowers down her hand and gets to the source of discomfort. It was on her reproductive organ, she felt a slight pressure for a few seconds. She takes off the tube from her vagina. Gasping in surprise

"How… but the sample is complete now..."

Looks back and notices Snake is still asleep; she gets up, puts her clothes and heads outside quickly to the vehicle, leaving the front door open. Because she was in a rush, Quiet decides to skip using the vehicle and use her abilities to quickly go to the cave, her first step off created a strong gust of wind and lifts sand from the dirt road.

Because of the sudden noise, Snake wakes up startled

"Quiet?" he looks to the front door and sees particles of sands, some of them enter his eye, reacting by covering it with his left arm.

"That noise, it sounded as if she jumped." As he gets up, he is hit with an epiphany. He remembers what happened the night before, he killed the parasite soldier, Quiet was gone and he entered a cave looking for her. He quickly grabs the flashlight looks to the kitchen floor where he had shot the soldier dead, he notices there's nobody but a very slight black stain left over.

He picks up his crutch, the gun and looks around the house for something to cover his mouth and nose, so to not to fall unconscious again from the smell. He finds a small grey scarf and puts it around his neck. Rushing exiting the house, he gets up on the vehicle and heads down to the cave. Once again, he leave the vehicle on so the light can guide him. He puts on the scarf and makes his way deep into the cave. With his flashlight he notices sand particles once again "Quiet must be through here."

As he makes his way, he hears gasping noises. He takes out his gun in advance, now taking precautions. The cave's straight trail was somehow deep; he had been walking over 15 minutes and still no sign of her. The gasping noises get louder, and the sand particles grow more numerous. He notices that the soldiers must be lifting dirt from their uneven friction from their movements; he begins to concentrate, closing his eye and starts to shoot, 6 times, 5 soldiers fall down. He hears when the bullets pierce the soldiers and knock them down. Proceeding deeper, more soldiers start to approach,

"hmm, I don't know how many bullets I got left."

He keeps killing them, when he hears the mag fall out, he searches his pockets, and luckily, he finds one. "All right…" Snake puts the mag on the gun and reloads it. He keeps shooting; he must have killed over 20 soldiers.

One stumbles on left shoulder and he throws it down on the floor cqc style, but he falls too because the crutch fell off from under his shoulder. As he tries to get up the soldier he threw on gets on top of him, Snake reaches for a knife he had in his other pocket and stabs it on the side of the head, throwing him to the side so he can get up. He sees another soldier approaching him up front, he looks to the side. The gun was behind him, he crawls back reaching for the gun while the soldier accelerates his footsteps, Snake picks it up and shoots him in the head.

Trying to catch his breath, he closes his eye and tries to assess the situation. He notices there is no longer gasping sounds, but he feels a slight rumble beneath him.

"Hmm, I must hurry." Snake picks up his gun, flashlight and stands up with the support of his crutch and continues onward deeper to the cave. After a few minutes more, he starts to see a light, he picks up the pace, supporting himself between the crutch and the rocky wall. The light gets brighter he even picks up the pace more. When he reaches the source of the light, he falls down from exhaustion.


	13. Chapter 13 Nitrogen

**Chapter 13 "Nitrogen"**

Quiet had reached the cave, carrying on her hand the sample. She hurries on with the jumps; it takes her less than five minutes to arrive her destination. The place she arrived to is an underground lab of sorts. There are a few metallic desks with samples laying all around. The lab is illuminated by overhead light bulbs at the center of it, surrounded by many cables that extend everywhere. The source of electricity comes from a generator located at the left side of the lab. At the very center of the lab lies a garden of sorts. A circular form, there's grass everywhere and at the center lays a root.

"I have to bring him back…" Quiet is picking up Snake's unconscious body, "No! Leave him around there, I need you for this!"

He begins to open his eyes, "Qu Quiet?"

"Snake? I'm sorry…" She's holding her lover in her arms,

"Snake, I'm sorry for this" she puts him leaning behind a metallic desk. As Quiet gets up Snake stops her by gently grabbing her arm.

"What's the delay, I need you here Eve!" the tired old voice shouts,

"No…Master he's awake!" Snake lets go of her arm,

"Eve?" Quiet steps back, "My real name is Eve, Snake, I'm sorry I didn't told you"

"I never asked, who is that yelling, his voice sounds familiar." She looks back, struggling internally what to do; she looks at Snake again and decides to show him by helping him lift from the floor.

When Snake takes a good look, he sees an elderly figure from behind sitting on a wheelchair, staring at the garden

"You… Code Talker."

"Hmm..?" the elderly figure turns, it is indeed Code Talker, looking exactly the way he did 10 years ago.

"What's the meaning of this?"

"Snake… why look at you, you were supposed to die in that fortress of yours and yet here you are, it was all because of me."

Snake stares at him in silence.

"I had Eve here rescue you, so we could retrieve something very important from you." Snake looks at Quiet

"She did all this under my orders, even she having the bed with you, it was all me"

"Master...no…it was all…"

"See Big Boss, we needed a fresh blood sample at first, and then after we found your blood was a match for Eve here. I ordered her to mate with you. You ever wonder how you were cured from your wounds after the fortress explosion. I injected some parasites in you so you could heal. Sure, your treatment wasn't as strong as Eve's here, but it was enough to make you a functional human being, it even rejuvenated you a bit, you never bothered to look at a mirror? You look exactly the way you did when I met you."

"Why did you do this?"

"For master's revenge…" says Quiet looking down in embarrassment.

"Yes... revenge, it was because of that Skull Face."

"Skull Face? What did he do you this time?"

"He killed my entire people few years after his dead, he had left a squad in charge of tracking my village and executed them all down. It was the day I returned to my village after I asked you to discharge from your base, not wanting to work anymore on the parasites. You had two soldiers escort me down, when I arrived my village was in flames, I began to scream in agony. I sent out my parasites to search the place and all I saw was bloodied corpses. When I saw the xof patch on one dead soldier whom had been stabbed in the chest, I realized it was Skull Face. When this will end, I thought. Skull Face follows us everywhere, he is the embodiment of revenge and he passed it on to me. Eve has it too, so, we are here to release ourselves from him. Feel free to join in, Adam…"

"Adam? What is it that you're going to do!?"

"I have managed to breed a special type of parasite, very unique. This parasite will spurt out now from the ground, we will consume it, and then we will gather enough strength to satisfy our desire for revenge. Eve here will deliver my will! I managed to breed the parasite thanks to the help of the two of you."

"How…" asks Snake while looking at Quiet who's crying.

"For the parasite to grow, it needed a mate to consume with, Eve was the carrier, but she would not have any man to promote the growth of the parasite. She wanted you, Big Boss. Therefore, we waited for an opportune time to kidnap you and the Outer Heaven explosion made that possible. Even if you died, I could have still revived you. The parasite I put into you was compatible with Eve's but compability was not enough. For the consummation it needed more strength."

"What do you mean Master?"

"Mating was not enough Eve, the parasites needed the hormones you two secreted from your intense emotions, most time achieved by mating, but sometimes it can be just achieved without it."

Quiet gasps in realization, and remembers what happened last night, when they embraced fully, the parasite inside her grew and consumed Snake's parasite that was that was still inside her.

"Now, I had Eve take out the parasite, put it here on the garden, she rinsed it with fresh water and ah it's spurting out now."

The center of the garden starts to move, the root starts to grow, and then two leafs spurt out quickly matured and a pink colored fruit in the shape of an apple.


	14. Chapter 14 Quiet's past, final part

**Chapter 14 "Quiet's past, final part"**

"If only we shared a common tongue…"

I finish recording the tape for Snake and leave it on the tree. I pick up my rifle and go off to the desert. For a few days I wandered in confusion, what should I do, I even contemplated suicide. But I continue on, in zones where outposts with soldiers be posted, I would turn invincible and continue on to walk. I eventually arrived at the ruins where Snake and I first fought. I take off my clothes and shower in the waterfall. After a long while of laying down, I realize I did not get the symptoms of the parasite. When I press on my throat, I feel nothing. I stand up and look at my reflection on the waterfall, I press harder on my throat and turn invincible, I notice the English strain is gone. "I can speak…" Then I notice drops falling into the water, distorting my reflection "Rain?" when I look up the sky is bright, "No, they're tears…" at that moment I begin to cry and wail. My chest felt heavy and I felt an intense pain emanating from inside me. For a long while, I kept crying and yelling. I begin to pound at the water in frustration, tears still dropping. I'm already soaked. Then I stop, and I stare up at the sky, it has gotten cloudy.

If you ask me today, I could not tell you why exactly I was crying, all I remember that day is feeling an intense emotion on my chest that made me cry and scream in pain. Looking back now, maybe it was loneliness, forced to abandoned the man I only ever loved. After long hours of staring the sky, I pull myself together and decide to live on the ruins. "I can turn this into a paradise…." I would everyday work with the animals and bring other types of animals here and even plant flora. I would make this place my own Eden.

As the years went by eventually was able to secure an abandoned cabin that was not too far off the ruins and so I began to restore it. I would go to the nearby and faraway villages and steal items and resources using my jump and invincibility. I always kept myself busy, but every day I would think about Snake and the things we did together. I never stopped admiring him and I wished to see him again, I still wanted to express my feelings.

One day outside the cabin, I was cleaning my rifle and I heard something approaching. I turn myself invincible dropping the rifle,

"Dear…" when I hear familiar tired old voice,

"Dear… it's me." I turn visible

"Code Talker?" he appears in front of me turning visible. "

Code Talker, what are you doing here?"

"I have lost everything…"

"Please come inside, let's talk there." I help him with his chair to go to the inside of the house. I place him in the wooden table and I sit across it.

"What happened?"

"Skull Face killed my entire family, now I have nothing…"

"Code Talker…. I didn't know..."

"The revenge cycle doesn't ever end Eve, we have to stop it, you too feel revenge don't you?"

"Eve?"

"That's your real name my dear, your name is Eve…"

"How could you know?"

"The parasites, they analyze the DNA in your body and transfer that information to me."

I become silent, trying to understand what Code Talker is talking about. He proceeds to tell me his plan for revenge; he wanted to breed a special type of parasite that would carry out his will, our will for revenge. However, he would not tell what it would do.

After laying me the plan, we first searched for an underground area to build the laboratory, and then I found the cave. To build the lab, I stole materials from a research center, transporting them on a vehicle I secured which Big Boss used. When he mentioned about me needing to have a man so the breeding process can begin, I told him I would not let myself be taken by any man, only Big Boss may have me. He then instructed me to stand by near Outer Heaven and wait for an opportunity to kidnap him. I did not expect the fortress to be underground, so I infiltrated with my invincibility and I stood nearby him in silence. For two months, I stood watch over him; I noticed he was greatly depressed and tired from the battlefield. When Solid Snake came by and destroyed most of the fortress, he left Big Boss to die and escaped.

When he was laying on the ground, smoking his cigar, he began to utter some words. I came closer to him and crouched, looking at him closely, and then he whispers a word that shook my heart

"Quiet…"

At that moment as his cigar falls from his mouth, my heart started to beat fast and I quickly grabbed him. Then with my jump, I quickly escaped the fortress as it began to blow and I carried him to the lab. It was a 3-day journey. When I put him on the bed in the lab, Code Talker begins the parasite treatment. The treatment healed his wounds, and even rejuvenated him, turning his white hair into brown; he looked just the way when I met him. I feel my chest tightened as I watch him sleep, I grasp strongly my chest and put my hand on his shoulder, "Snake, welcome back." He begins to open his eyes.


	15. Chapter 15 The Final Countdown

_**Author's note: The end is near, in Christmas Eve I hope to post the final chapter.**_

**Chapter 15 "The Final Countdown"**

"Snake, that looks like an apple." Snake continues to stare in silence as Code Talker marvels at his best creation. Code Talker turns around to the couple,

"My children, this is my greatest creation. With this my revenge will be complete"

Snake and Quiet gasp in surprise as they notice Code Talker's voice changing to a familiar voice,

"Skull Face?"

"Welcome Eve and Adam, you are going to be witness to the next step for growth of humanity. In this Eden here, I will become God and you two can take shelter in Eden or eat the forbidden fruit of knowledge and casts yourself to my world."

"How are you still alive!?" asks Snake pushing himself forward and nearly falling from Quiet's grip,

"You… the parasites, the parasites of revenge that inhabit this very old body. I have been inside the old man all this time ever since he found out I killed his people."

"Mas.. Skull Face… why?"

"He erased me from the annals of history, wiped out all my records; I don't even recall my real name…so I will become a god and have everyone carry out my will, a world of silence! From this humanity will take a few step backs in evolution and I'll be able to bend it to my will! Everyone will recognize me, I will make my mark on history!"

He turns around and looks at the fruit

"This fruit contains over a million of microbial parasite that multiply when they take in water and inhabit their host very quickly, they connect to me and I can control them. I will have now one of my soldiers eat it and when the parasite takes in the water, the host will explode and the microbial parasites turn aerial and fuse with the water from the clouds multiply and fall into open water. In a matter of weeks the whole planet's water will be infected with the forbidden fruit of knowledge."

Skull Face raises his arms up in excitement

"Then every human being will drink my water and they will be under my control."

"Skull Face that's too much…"

"Child, I knew you weren't up to this task, ever since you told me you would only consummate your parasite with Big Boss. You were originally going to be my martyr, but since that failed I stocked up quite a good number of fallen soldiers, speaking of which here they are arriving."

The soldiers that Snake had killed on his way to the cave raised up again and are starting to come through, walking directly to the forbidden fruit so Skull Face plan can come into fruition.

"Come my children, only one of you has to eat the fruit and my plan will be complete."

Snake falls into the ground sitting as he is starting to feel fatigue build up, not being able to have enough strength to keep standing. Quiet is in shock from what is happening. He quickly grabs her arm and calls to her

"Quiet, Quiet.. Quiet!" She comes back to her senses and notices Snake sitting on the floor.

"Snake?"

"Quiet, listen to me, we can stop this…" He sees the hesitation in her eyes, "Quiet listen to me, we can stop this, I know you always wanted to revenge, but look at what it has done to Skull Face. Don't be his tool, let's stop this."

Even though she has returned to her senses she still doesn't grasp the situation completely,

"Quiet take my knife and fight the soldiers, those who pass by me I'll shoot them in the head"

He notices she went into shock again and the soldiers are starting to get closer. "Cover me!"

Those words snapped Quiet back into action, she quickly takes Snake's knife and goes to kill the incoming soldiers.

Skull Face steps back with his wheelchair,

"Men, do the rest!."

Snake is reloading his gun and notices two soldiers passing by him, he quickly aims and shoots them in the head, but he notices the gun is heavier than usual, it must be the exhaustion catching up to him. Quiet continues to kill the soldiers but begins to struggle a bit as the soldiers shove her and punch her back. Three more soldiers pass by Snake and he shoots them again. Then he hears a gasping noise very near him and he quickly shoots to the right, he notices now some of the soldier are approaching him to kill him. He continues to shoot side to side, there were too many soldiers approaching the cave.

As he keeps shooting the last two soldiers, one soldier pass by him going directly to the fruit and the gun runs out of bullet. He quickly exhorts great effort and lunges his arm forward to grab the soldier by his ankle and pull him down to the floor. Quiet is just finishing killing the last soldiers. Snake holds strongly the soldier's ankle but it begins to crawl,

"Quiet!" he yells just like he used to when they fought together before. Quiet reacts quickly and goes to stab the crawling soldier in the head.

"Boss!" she nods to him in approval, "Quiet, Skull Face remains." She picks up the knife from the soldiers head and turns around to Skull Face, she gasps in surprise.

"Guess I will have to do it myself then…" Skull Face is holding the fruit and takes a bite, it is already too late. He throws the fruit to the floor and extends his arms sideways, looking to the hole that gives glimpse to the sky. He takes a deep breath

"REVENGE!"

Quiet goes back to Snake's side, they already know it's too late, and the blast from the exploding body will create a vibration that will definitely collapse the cave and bury the two of them here.

"Quiet… Quiet you can escape, make it out of here."

She looks at him "No, I want to stay here, with you…"

Code Talker's body begins to bloat, she's on the verge of tears, and looks at Snake again

"Snake! I…." She bites her lips as she tries to says her last words but something holds her back, her lips trembles and lets out a slight sob

He looks at her eyes and smiles

"I know…." Quiet smiles back, tears falling and responds to him

"You are the best thing that ever happened to me…" The couple hug each other tightly and close their eyes as Skull Face's body is about to explode.


	16. Chapter 16 A Quiet Life, Epilogue

_**Author's note: Thank you for reaching this far of this journey. I hope you have enjoyed it. Please leave me feedback and suggestions as I am considering expanding the story. Not change the overall plot but rather, add more depth to it. Let me know, and thanks again. Merry Christmas to all. Enjoy the end.**_

**Chapter 16 "A Quiet Life"**

"Why did you save me?" Snake asks Quiet, tapping her shoulder.

"Because I saw something special in you, your silence reflected mine…"

Snake wakes up in the bed again, his face full of sweat. He opens his eye and finds himself in the cabin again; still feeling a bit disoriented

"Is this heaven?"

"Not quite yet…" Quiet walks through the front door holding a glass of water,

"Quiet? How… agh!" Snake feels a very strong headache and begins to feel dizzy, pressing his hand against his forehead.

"Snake, you are still not well, take this glass of water and few pills then rest." He complies, swallows the pills, and drinks the water.

"What are these?"

"A little something for the headache and make you sleep a while more." "Thanks…" He closes his eye and falls asleep again.

The next day…

"How do you feel?"

Quiet asks as she straightens the bed sheet and Snake wakes up.

"Feeling much better though I could use some water."

"Here…"

She gives him the glass of water. After finishing drinking it Snake drops the glass of water falling to the bed, grabs Quiet's arm pulling her to him and gives her a hug.

"Quiet I…" She feels his embrace completely as never before

"I know…." Their hugs loosen a bit and they look at each other's eyes, sharing a smile.

Few hours later…

The couple are sitting on the table, Snake smoking cigar and Quiet cleaning the handgun. It was midday, and now that Snake's head has cleared completely he addresses the elephant in the room

"How are we here again, alive?"

She proceeds to tell him…

There was no explosion, after Code Talker ate the fruit he actually disintegrated, turning into dust. In his wheelchair, he left a letter that began to float around after the whole body disappeared. Quiet still hugging Snake notices the paper and the disappeared body, "Snake I think we…" she turns around to him and sees he is unconscious, passed out from exhaustion. She leaves him there and goes to pick the letter.

"_Eve… there was no Skull Face, nor Skull Soldiers. It was all an illusion created by the parasites by my will. I did not want revenge, I just sought release. When I was in Adam's care, I told him about my funeral arrangements but I noticed that I did not die, and it was because the parasites had been so ingrained to me that my organs would not stop functioning. Killing me would not be possible because the parasite would harden the skin to fend off incoming attacks. Burning myself would have been an alternative but I did not want to die under the excruciating pain._

_After I realized this, I asked Adam to discharge me and leave me in my home. Skull Face never burned my village, but I could not die there either. So after I lived long enough there I sought you out so you could help me with my death. I waited patiently for the chance you could be reunited with him. The parasite you two created would overtake all of mine after I consumed it and kill them, then all the built up aging that my body has hold up all these long years would hit all at once and then I could really die. _

_Eve… there was never revenge, it was never about that, sorry I lied to you, but I wanted to make you see what revenge does to people. I hope this has helped you let go of yours and move on. Take care my dear…."_

"After reading the letter, I breathe in relief, and then I picked you up and brought you here and tended your wounds."

"Hmm…"

"Snake…" Quiet picks his chair and puts it closer to him, she places her hand on his, gently caressing his fingers and looks at him.

"I no longer feel the need for revenge, I'm free now."

"What do you want to do now?"

"Be with you…"

"I would like that too…" The couple kiss, holding their hands.

"Can you carry me, like before, one last time?"

"Always…" Snake gets up and picks up Quiet, they walk to the bed. Snake could accomplish this now thanks to a wooden leg she managed to get for him and now he could walk with ease. He walks slowly towards the bed while Quiet looks at him and hums her favorite song. He looks at her eyes and they share a passionate kiss as they reach the bed.

**Epilogue**

"Snake, look here!"

"Hmm?" The couple are at the ruins working with the animals and plants; Snake is now doing chore work thanks to a wooden leg Quiet managed to get for him few days ago. As Snake drops a tool, he picks up his crutch and goes to Quiet whose crouching down holding something. He touches Quiet shoulder peeking over her,

"What is it?"

"Here look, the mother wolf has gifted us a puppy. She left with her other pups and left him behind."

She stands up and shows Snake the grey pup.

"Haha a grey pup, he looks familiar, what shall we call him?"

"You can choose the name Snake."

"Let's call him DD, I always liked that name."

"Like the wolf you used to have back then? All right, DD, welcome as a new member of the family." Snake smiles and looks at Quiet, she gives him a smile back, happily laughing and settling the pup down. They continue to work, lasting until dusk.

When going to the vehicle, Quiet is carrying DD while Snake carries the bag of food and wood, getting on the vehicle at the same time.

"Here"

She hands down DD to him. He puts the pup in his lap and caresses him. Quiet turns on the vehicle and the couple drive off to the cabin, sharing a short road trip in silence. When arriving the cabin, Snake opens the door and DD exits out happily, playing around.

In the night, Snake goes to bed while Quiet finishes settling down DD; she takes off her clothes and stands in front of him.

"Snake, what are you thinking about?"

"Hmm, I would like to do that dance again..."

"Dance? What dance?"

"The one we did in the rain that day…"

The rain dance Snake mentions is one day both him and Quiet arrived from doing missions together and at mother base it was raining. Quiet peeks out from the chopper and jumps out to dance with joy taking off her boots and pantyhose, feeling all the water and refreshing breeze. Snake arrives and holds her boots, she starts to playfully dance with him, while her favorite song plays in her head. Quiet had a cassette tape with she singing her favorite song, Snake eventually lost the cassette to the flow of time.

Snake gets up and grabs Quiet's hand, "Please… sing me that song" Quiet smiles and complies, and she starts to dance and sing….

"_Birds… in the sky… carry… these words… for me…._

The couple begin to dance, expressing their love for each other…

_ Life... tasted sweet… it let me live, it let me breathe…._

Snake and Quiet are at the ruins playing with DD…

_Love… hurts so bad… but still saved my soul…._

The couple continue dancing outside the cabin under the rain…

_ Flowers of a brighter past… they bloomed so free…_

Time pass by, DD has gotten big now, and their garden has grown even more beautiful…

_Memories… I want to give them to you…so you can see…_

They continue dancing at night, Quiet smiling, feeling the happiness of a lifetime….

_ What we left there, when all hope bleeds out, what remains is doubt…._

Snake and Quiet make love on their matrimonial bed …

_Should have left it all for you…_

One night… Quiet dances while pouring something on her

_ For tomorrow, as the time draws near…._

DD howls outside in the moonlight

_Will you live in fear…_

Snake lays on the bed with his eye closed and Quiet continues dancing…

_ Could have left it all for you…_

Quiet closes her eyes, and turns a match on….

_But we let go…_

An old wolf climbs to the tallest peak in the ruins….

He lets out his last howl under the full moon….

Close to the ruins, smoke is emerging…

As the wolf settles down on his last sleep…

Two blue butterflies pass by him and do a familiar dance…

_ The end_


	17. Afterword

**Afterword**

Greetings all, I posted this as a new chapter for all those following me or having put this as favorites. Let you all know, I have posted the first chapter of the new edition, check it out on my profile. Thank you for your support. Schedule will be the same, one chapter weekly during Saturdays or Sundays. More details on the new document.


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